Proposals to further develop high quality integrated services for young children and families in two areas of the city will be discussed by the Executive this week.
At its meeting on July 14, the Executive will consider recommendations to hold public consultations on proposals to amalgamate Grangetown Nursery School with Grangetown Primary School, and Tremorfa Nursery School to amalgamate with Baden Powell Primary School with an increase in range of integrated children’s services which already exist at both nursery schools. In each case the nursery provision will remain on their existing sites.
The Council has been reviewing the role of nursery schools as part of its vision of viable and successful schools and wherever possible, is seeking to create all-through primary schools catering for children aged three to 11. Population statistics show that birth rates in the south of the city are continuing to rise, impacting on the numbers of children requiring nursery and primary school places and these proposals will allow for flexibility to provide additional school places as the pupil population changes over time.
The Council has been investing in integrated children’s facilities across the city with the recent development of new facilities in four primary schools, in addition to the existing Ely and Caerau Children’s Centre which has been delivering high quality services to local families since 2005.
Both Tremorfa Nursery School and Grangetown Nursery School already provide a range of services in addition to nursery education places, including wrap around childcare, SEN support groups, parent and child stay and play sessions, Ti a Fi and baby talk/rhyme time. These proposals would both preserve the excellent services already delivered from the respective Nursery Schools and further develop the range of integrated services available to families.
The proposals are to:
- Amalgamate Tremorfa Nursery School with Baden Powell Primary School whilst retaining service delivery at both of the existing premises. This would mean technically closing Tremorfa Nursery School and immediately reopening it as part of a spilt-site Baden Powell Primary School with increased number of nursery places available, as well as further developing the range of integrated services available to families in Tremorfa/Splott.
- Amalgamate Grangetown Nursery School with Grangetown Primary School retaining service delivery at both of the existing premises. This would be achieved by technically closing Grangetown Nursery School and immediately reopening it as part of a spilt-site Grangetown Primary School. This would require an extension of the age range of the primary school which would operate across both sites, and support the further development of integrated service delivery for families in Grangetown.
These proposals will see the last remaining nursery schools in the city amalgamated with existing primary schools, contributing to meeting the aim of creating all through primary schools, catering for the age-range three to11. Both proposals would be implemented from September 2013.
Executive Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, Cllr Freda Salway, said: “These proposals have been developed to reflect the needs of the communities in which the schools are located and to continue to contribute towards meeting demand for nursery education and child care places as well as creating better opportunities for delivering services to children and their families through the concept of integrated children’s facilities on the existing sites of the nursery schools. I want to stress that both Tremorfa and Grangetown Nurseries will continue on their existing sites.”
